America’s space program has long held a special place in the public’s imagination, but NASA missions are limited by budget constraints. NASA must use its funding wisely to implement balanced, cost-efficient programs to develop enabling technologies, such as technologies to power future NASA missions.
Should a proposed probe to a metallic asteroid win NASA funding next year, Space Systems/Loral will provide the spacecraft structure and propulsion system.
NASA might end up funding two of the five mission concepts just selected for further study in the latest Discovery-class planetary science mission competition, a senior agency official said.
The team working on the leading concept for a mission to Europa believes it can be ready for launch as soon as 2022, several years ahead of the schedule NASA officials recently stated.
Exactly five years to the day after Japan’s Akatsuki spacecraft sped past Venus without entering orbit, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will try again Dec. 7 to put the probe into orbit around the second planet from the sun.
Buried within the landscape of U.S. partisan conflict lies a wellspring of bipartisan potential that could ignite a new bipartisan era of planetary exploration.
The incoming chairman of the House Appropriations commerce, justice, science subcommittee reiterated a promise to find more funding for NASA’s portfolio of robotic solar system missions.
The NASA inspector general found no major issues with the process used in the Astrophysics, Earth Science and Heliophysics divisions.
Green frequently identifies himself as the chief proponent for planetary science in the U.S. government.
NASA approved extensions for all seven missions that were vetted by senior scientists in the agency’s 2014 senior review of operating planetary science missions.
The long-awaited senior review of NASA planetary science missions is effectively complete and will be publicly released in the next week or two, a NASA official said July 21
Following the launch, Orbcomm said all six satellites were healthy in orbit and sending signals.
Scientists have discovered an Earth-sized alien planet in the habitable zone of its host star.
Planet Labs on March 17 said it had secured funding to launch an additional 72 satellites into low Earth orbit in the next 12 months.
The four satellites launched Feb. 11 are destined for Planet Labs’ 28-spacecraft Flock-1 Earth observing constellation.
European scientists have proposed that the Plato as ESA’s next Medium-class mission for launch between 2022 and 2024.
Ames physicists Chris Boshuizen and Will Marshall realized smartphone technology could produce dramatically cheaper, more capable spacecraft.
Planet Labs sent triple cubesats Dove 3 and Dove 4 into polar orbit on a Dnepr rocket from Russia’s Yasny launch site.
Depending on what scientists propose for the Mars 2020 rover’s instrument package, the ISRU technology demonstration also could include actual oxygen production.
The solicitation competition is being managed by JPL.